Lorna I HarrisPostdoctoral Fellow, Catchment and Wetland Sciences Research Group, University of Alberta

I am a wetland scientist interested in the ecology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry of wetland ecosystems, and the likely changes to these ecosystems due to global climate warming and other disturbance (e.g. wildfire, permafrost thaw, infrastructure development). My research focuses on the ecohydrology and biogeochemistry of northern peatlands. I am interested in how peatlands form and develop over time and how this development may be impacted by environmental change. For my PhD at McGill University, I studied peatlands near Attawapiskat in the Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL) - a vast expanse of peatland in northern Ontario, Canada. The HBL comprises the second largest continuous area of peatlands in the world (over 250,000 sq km) and are considered to be significantly at risk from climate change. Changes in biogeochemical processes in this region could have major consequences for global climate regulation. This region is also likely to face significant development pressure in the near future, from mining operations in particular. For my Postdoctoral research, I am working to better understand the structure and function of peatlands in central Ontario, northern Alberta, and the Northwest Territories.